DPS introduced the StudySync curriculum at the start of the 2019/2020 school year. There is mobile app where students may access content and assignments on a phone or tablet. StudySync can also be accessed on a computer or Chromebook through MyNCEdCloud.
Please Note: While StudySync drives much of the 6th Grade ELA curriculum, Ms. Aardahl (and the other 6th grade ELA teachers) use many other resources in addition to StudySync.
Unit 1: Turning Points
How much of what happens in our lives do we actually control? This is a question that has concerned philosophers and writers for thousands of years. We expect events to progress in a certain way, then suddenly unexpected circumstances cause us to hesitate and reconsider the choices that confront us. Sometimes we don’t have a choice at all.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore life-changing events from a variety of perspectives, as they read fiction, memoirs, nonfiction narratives, articles, autobiographies, and poetry. The unit begins with an excerpt from the Newberry-award-winning novel Hatchet, which gives insight into a 13-year-old boy’s state of mind when he is stranded in the wilderness with only a tattered windbreaker and the hatchet his mother had given him as a gift. Other selections include accounts of the struggles real people have faced, including Melba Pattillo Beals’ experience as a key figure in the fight for school integration, and Jackie Robinson’s rise to baseball fame when he enters the Major Leagues and becomes the first African American player to break through the color barrier. Throughout this unit, students will explore how fictional characters and real people adapt and succeed when life suddenly changes direction.
Unit 2: Ancient Realms
What can be taken away from a look at history? People can learn how ancient societies lived and worked and can take inspiration from ancient civilizations as well as those from the more recent past. While there are certain events in history that we might not want to repeat, history does hold much that can and should be celebrated.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore how history informs and inspires us from a variety of perspectives, through fiction, myths, nonfiction narratives, and poetry. The unit begins with an excerpt from Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself, which sheds light on what life was like in ancient Egypt, how society was governed, and what happened when a female pharaoh came to power. Other selections share stories of history, including Philip Isaacson’s critique on the Egyptian pyramids, the Greek myth of Perseus, and morals learned through Aesop’s Fables. Throughout this unit, students will explore the different ways that history can inspire and inform people.
Unit 3: Our Heroes
What are the qualities of a hero? Bravery? Fearlessness? Super human powers? Can heroes only be people in positions of power or the characters we see in comics, in movies, and on TV? Or can heroes also be ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things? People have different opinions about what qualities define a hero and who their heroes are.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore a variety of texts that celebrate real-life heroes. The unit begins with an excerpt from Rosa Parks: My Story in which Parks recalls the courage and strength it took for her to defy the laws of segregation and take a stand against injustice. Other selections tell more stories of courageous individuals—both ordinary citizens and historical figures.These include Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, an informational text profiling teenage African Americans who also took a brave stand against segregation laws; Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson, an article about Eleanor Roosevelt’s fight for social justice; and “My Father is a Simple Man,”a poem in which the speaker honors the life led by his one true hero, his father. Throughout this unit, students will read the stories of other heroes, like Doctor Benjamin Rush and Baron von Steuben, whose whose bravery, fearlessness, and strong-will inspired others.
Unit 4: Facing Challenges
Have you ever felt that you or someone else was treated unfairly? Perhaps you were accused of something you didn’t do. Or maybe you witnessed a classmate being teased by another student in the hallway in between classes. When you experienced an injustice, did you feel the need to stand up for yourself or for another person? What motivated you to take a stance? Did your actions result in a positive outcome? Throughout history and literature, there have been real people and characters who have decided to take a stand against injustice and stand up for themselves, for another person, or for their community in an attempt to make a positive change.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore through a variety of texts what motivates people to stand up for others and themselves, how they take a stand, and the outcomes of their actions. The unit begins with an excerpt from the novel A Wrinkle in Time, which showcases the bravery of two siblings who set out on a dangerous journey to find their father. Other selections share stories, past and present, of people who take a stance against injustice, including a selection that focuses on educator Leo Hart who stood up for “Okie” children during the Great Depression, an account of the efforts of Japanese Americans to prove their loyalty to the United States during World War II, and two sides of an argument about whether schools are doing enough to prevent bullying. Throughout this unit, students will explore the different reasons and ways in which people take a stance and, despite challenges, work hard to make a change for the better.
Please Note: While StudySync drives much of the 6th Grade ELA curriculum, Ms. Aardahl (and the other 6th grade ELA teachers) use many other resources in addition to StudySync.
Unit 1: Turning Points
How much of what happens in our lives do we actually control? This is a question that has concerned philosophers and writers for thousands of years. We expect events to progress in a certain way, then suddenly unexpected circumstances cause us to hesitate and reconsider the choices that confront us. Sometimes we don’t have a choice at all.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore life-changing events from a variety of perspectives, as they read fiction, memoirs, nonfiction narratives, articles, autobiographies, and poetry. The unit begins with an excerpt from the Newberry-award-winning novel Hatchet, which gives insight into a 13-year-old boy’s state of mind when he is stranded in the wilderness with only a tattered windbreaker and the hatchet his mother had given him as a gift. Other selections include accounts of the struggles real people have faced, including Melba Pattillo Beals’ experience as a key figure in the fight for school integration, and Jackie Robinson’s rise to baseball fame when he enters the Major Leagues and becomes the first African American player to break through the color barrier. Throughout this unit, students will explore how fictional characters and real people adapt and succeed when life suddenly changes direction.
Unit 2: Ancient Realms
What can be taken away from a look at history? People can learn how ancient societies lived and worked and can take inspiration from ancient civilizations as well as those from the more recent past. While there are certain events in history that we might not want to repeat, history does hold much that can and should be celebrated.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore how history informs and inspires us from a variety of perspectives, through fiction, myths, nonfiction narratives, and poetry. The unit begins with an excerpt from Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself, which sheds light on what life was like in ancient Egypt, how society was governed, and what happened when a female pharaoh came to power. Other selections share stories of history, including Philip Isaacson’s critique on the Egyptian pyramids, the Greek myth of Perseus, and morals learned through Aesop’s Fables. Throughout this unit, students will explore the different ways that history can inspire and inform people.
Unit 3: Our Heroes
What are the qualities of a hero? Bravery? Fearlessness? Super human powers? Can heroes only be people in positions of power or the characters we see in comics, in movies, and on TV? Or can heroes also be ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things? People have different opinions about what qualities define a hero and who their heroes are.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore a variety of texts that celebrate real-life heroes. The unit begins with an excerpt from Rosa Parks: My Story in which Parks recalls the courage and strength it took for her to defy the laws of segregation and take a stand against injustice. Other selections tell more stories of courageous individuals—both ordinary citizens and historical figures.These include Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, an informational text profiling teenage African Americans who also took a brave stand against segregation laws; Eleanor Roosevelt and Marian Anderson, an article about Eleanor Roosevelt’s fight for social justice; and “My Father is a Simple Man,”a poem in which the speaker honors the life led by his one true hero, his father. Throughout this unit, students will read the stories of other heroes, like Doctor Benjamin Rush and Baron von Steuben, whose whose bravery, fearlessness, and strong-will inspired others.
Unit 4: Facing Challenges
Have you ever felt that you or someone else was treated unfairly? Perhaps you were accused of something you didn’t do. Or maybe you witnessed a classmate being teased by another student in the hallway in between classes. When you experienced an injustice, did you feel the need to stand up for yourself or for another person? What motivated you to take a stance? Did your actions result in a positive outcome? Throughout history and literature, there have been real people and characters who have decided to take a stand against injustice and stand up for themselves, for another person, or for their community in an attempt to make a positive change.
In this Grade 6 unit, students will explore through a variety of texts what motivates people to stand up for others and themselves, how they take a stand, and the outcomes of their actions. The unit begins with an excerpt from the novel A Wrinkle in Time, which showcases the bravery of two siblings who set out on a dangerous journey to find their father. Other selections share stories, past and present, of people who take a stance against injustice, including a selection that focuses on educator Leo Hart who stood up for “Okie” children during the Great Depression, an account of the efforts of Japanese Americans to prove their loyalty to the United States during World War II, and two sides of an argument about whether schools are doing enough to prevent bullying. Throughout this unit, students will explore the different reasons and ways in which people take a stance and, despite challenges, work hard to make a change for the better.